


The Camera Eye - Incoming Storm

by puss_nd_boots



Series: The Camera Eye [91]
Category: D (Band), DIAURA
Genre: Alternate Universe - Porn, M/M, Oral Sex, Prostate Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 03:56:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14011653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: Ruiza is happy in career and love, but that threatens to come crashing down when an old friend gets dragged through media fire for very scandalous reasons – and threatens to take Ruiza with him.





	The Camera Eye - Incoming Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Part of an ongoing porn industry AU series. DIAURA are property of Ains, D are property of God Child Records, I own the story only. Yep, this is a Law and Order-style “ripped from the headlines” story. Arashi isn’t based on any particular J-rocker, but if you know what his name means in Japanese . . .

Ruiza could say, very easily, that he was having a good year.

It had started at the previous year’s JAVA Awards, when he found himself forming an alliance with the Codomo Dragon collective to star in one of their films. He also got signed by Uruha to appear in PSC Productions’ groundbreaking miniseries, A Sort of Fairy Tale – and he was promised that his character would also get a sidestory film to star in.

The film he made with Codomo Dragon – Blond from Beyond: Male Edition – went on to become one of the biggest hits of his career. Suddenly, he was getting attention from industry press and bloggers like he hadn’t had in a long time (especially since he’d spent so much time stuck in the Hard Candy star system, which rewarded guys who were willing to sleep with the bosses and punished everyone else). He even ended up as the cover story for the Bible of the Japanese adult video industry, JAVA News – nearly unheard of for someone who exclusively worked in male-male productions.

However, the best thing of all was his co-star in Blond from Beyond. Tatsuya had brought a kind of joy into Ruiza’s life like nothing he’d felt in years. Their relationship was so relaxed and comfortable – they could do just about anything together, from quiet at-home movie nights to raucous club crawls – that sometimes, it felt like he’d known the other man his entire life.

And now, with JAVAs season upon them, talk was swirling that Ruiza might pull off the rare feat of back-to-back Best Actor awards. There were even some whispers that he might be named Performer of the Year. He just sort of waved off all the speculation – it would be nice, sure, but did he really need another award on his bookshelf? As far as he was concerned, having Tatsuya in his life was the one true prize.

But just when it seemed that nothing could interfere with his happiness, something did. In the most unexpected of ways, as well.

He was sitting at the breakfast table one morning, idly flipping through his phone – when a headline on his news feed made him freeze, his eyes widening.

“Oh, no,” he said. “Please tell me it’s not him. Please, please tell me it’s not him.”

Fingers trembling, he tapped on the screen to open the story – and a couple of paragraphs in, his fears were confirmed.

“ . . . biggest scandal to hit the Diet in years. Representative Okuno Takaaki, the liquor tycoon turned arch-conservative firebrand, has been accused of paying hush money to a male paramour just before the most recent election. The man in question is a star of all-male adult videos who goes by the name of Arashi . . .”

“Fuck,” Ruiza said, hand clenching into a fist. “Just FUCK. I TOLD him to get out of that situation. I TOLD him nothing good would come of it, and now . . .”

He ran a hand over his hair. And if old photos and videos surface, he thought, my phone is going to start ringing with press again – and this time, it isn’t going to be about how great I was in Blond from Beyond.

* * *

“Nice of them to just figure this all out now, isn’t it?” Jun said to Ruiza as the latter restlessly paced back and forth over the former’s living room floor. “The affair happened what, three or four years ago? Why is it just NOW coming out?”

“One of Okuno’s aides got fired and blew the whistle,” Ruiza said. “He wanted revenge on the bastard – and what better way to destroy his image than to tell the whole world he shacked up with a gay porn star?” He ran his hand over his hair again, a nervous tic he’d been doing a LOT since seeing that headline. “I TOLD Arashi he’d get caught up in something like this someday. I wanted him to have a better life. I wanted him to put his past behind him, learn the constructive side of our industry . . .”

“Ruiza,” Jun said, softly, “you couldn’t save him. I told you that back then.”

“I know,” Ruiza said. “So did Sakito. He told me that night, when the two of us . . .” He sighed. “They’d better not start spreading those old rumors again. That’s all I need, people thinking that I . . .”

Ruiza’s phone rang at that moment. He looked at the face – the caller ID said it was a mainstream newspaper. Oh, crap, he thought as he took the call.

“Is this Ruiza?” said the voice on the other end.

“Yes, it is.”

The reporter identified himself and his newspaper. “We understand that you knew Arashi several years ago, and that you and another porn star were seen going up to Okuno-san’s suite with him and Arashi . . .”

“Arashi is a professional friend,” Ruiza said. “We were castmates when I was employed by Hard Candy Productions. He did invite me to the launch party for Okuno Flavored Rums, but I have never had any liaisons with Okuno-san myself.”

“Do you ever remember seeing Okuno-san on any of your film sets? How deeply involved was he with the adult entertainment industry?”

Ruiza wanted to reach through the phone and punch the guy. “Okuno-san was never on any sets. He has never had any professional association with the industry. He met Arashi when they both attended another party, and their relationship was strictly personal. And no, I don’t know anything about the hush money payments.”

He was trying to keep his voice as steady as he could – but it was getting harder, especially since the guy kept asking more and more and more questions, and it was getting harder and harder to deflect them, and he suddenly found himself very angry at Arashi – again.

When the reporter finally said, “Thank you for your time” and hung up, Ruiza sank into a chair, holding his head in his hands. “Argh,” he said. “I was afraid this was going to happen.”

“You should have expected it,” Jun said, quietly. “And with the JAVAs coming up . . . people are going to bring it up on the red carpet. Have you talked to Tatsuya about any of this yet?”

Ruiza shook his head. “No. I haven’t had to until now.”

“Maybe you should,” Jun said. “They’re probably going to ask him about it, too, even though it was long before you knew him.”

“This JAVAs was supposed to be about him and me,” Ruiza said. “It was going to be our official debut as an offscreen couple in front of the public. And then it got ruined by . . . this.”

It was all ruined by an old friend’s poor judgement – when Ruiza had tried to point him in the right direction, tried to get him to do what was good for him for once, to see his own potential instead of being what he’d been before . . .

But Jun was right. He was going to have to talk to Tatsuya about this. He needed to clear the air about it – and besides, their lives were slowly becoming more and more entwined. To hide a painful secret from his past would not be fair at all.

* * *

Ruiza stood in the kitchen, putting the last of the dinner dishes away. He glanced toward the living room, where Tatsuya was scrolling through a list of what was on TV that night on his iPad.

“Yeah, looks like our options are limited,” he said. “We’ve got yet another samurai drama, a couple of silly game shows, some rich-people-are-horrid type shows . . . good thing I brought some DVDs with me.”

Ruiza just stood there, eyes traveling across the man who, in such a short time, had come to mean more to him than anyone he’d known in years. There were people who said that we all have a soul mate, someone you were destined to meet and be with. If that were true, Tatsuya was definitely his.

I have to tell him about this, he thought. He may get dragged into the mess if the press gets involved – and that’s the last thing in the world I want for him.

He walked into the living room. “Tatusya? I . . . I don’t want to watch anything tonight. There’s something we need to talk about.”

“What is it?” Tatsuya said, putting his phone down. “I . . . I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?”

“No.” Ruiza sat next to him. “On the contrary. Everything is right between us. Very, very right. It’s just that . . .” He took a deep breath. “Something’s going on right now in the media. Something that involves someone who used to be part of my life. The press has already come sniffing around me, and they might come after you as well. And some of the things that are going to be said might be ugly.”

“Babe, we’re in the porn industry,” Tatusya replied, putting a hand on Ruiza’s shoulder. “We should be used to ugly by now. Seriously – what’s going on?”

Ruiza looked down at his hands. “You’ve heard of Okuno Takaaki, right?” he said.

“That bastard?” Tatusuya said. “I wish I hadn’t. What the hell does he have to do with anything?”

“The porn star he’s paid hush money to was a friend of mine back at Hard Candy. A good friend.”

“A boyfriend?” said Tatsuya.

“Not quite,” Ruiza said. “Maybe I should go back to the beginning.” Okay, he thought, here I go. Just be calm, Ruiza, and tell him everything.

“One of the differences between Hard Candy and PSC has always been that PSC refuses to hire rent boys” – male prostitutes who made their money from rich older men. “Hard Candy did it all the time. Usually, they played the smaller parts – third guy from the left at the orgy. We never noticed them much. But then . . . they hired Arashi. He was, well, different.”

“Arashi?” Tatsuya said. “Wait a minute – didn’t I hear something about a guy with that name? I was kind of half-listening to the radio before . . .”

Ruiza nodded. “That’s him. He was first spotted by my friend Asagi. He worked with Arashi in one video and insisted he be cast in more films. And, since I worked with Asagi a lot back then, I ended up meeting Arashi myself. He was, well . . . usually, with rent boys, there’s a hardness to them. Sort of a shell they’ve built around them, to lock out normal human emotions. Arashi didn’t have a shell. He was still very much a human being with heart. And the more I got to know him, the more I thought that he could be so much more than a rent boy.”

“Why was he doing that?” Tatusya said. “Being a rent boy, I mean.”

“He was raised in a poor family, with a whole lot of them in one house,” Ruiza said. “He found out at an early age that he was beautiful, that men desired him, and that they’d be willing to pay for his company – and more. He started making more money than he knew he could ever make in a conventional job – so as soon as he graduated high school, he moved out on his own and started doing it full-time.”

“Is that really so bad?” Tatsuya said. “I mean, if he was making good money, and he was comfortable with it . . .”

“The problem with rent boys is their shelf life is limited,” Ruiza said. “Eventually, the men get tired of them – and when they reach a certain age, they can’t attract new men anymore. If they haven’t had any training or preparation for any other kind of career, they’re up the creek. Some of them do manage to find jobs doing things like working store counters or doing construction, but they aren’t earning anywhere near what they used to. And those are the lucky ones. A lot of the ones who don’t find any work end up becoming involved in crime.”

“Damn,” Tatsuya said. “That’s pretty sad.”

“That’s why I didn’t want a future like that for Arashi,” Ruiza said. “He was such a nice guy. He deserved so much better than a future as a used-up, cast-aside ex-toy. So I mentored him. I tried to get him to learn acting, real acting. I would run through scenes with him for hours, until he was a real performer not just pretty background material. He started getting bigger and better parts.

“Also, I made sure to introduce him to all the people who were working behind the scenes – because I wanted him to learn things like camerawork and set design, so that when he couldn’t be a pretty face in front of the camera anymore, he’d still have a future.”

“That’s the kind of thing I’d expect from you,” Tatusya said, softly. “You have a big heart, Ruiza.”

“Well, a lot of people told me my heart was TOO big,” he said. “Even my friends. They said I needed to give up on trying to save a rent boy, that I wasn’t going to be able to do it, that people like him never saw the big picture or took a hard look at themselves and their futures. But I refused to believe it. I thought I really was going to save him. And then . . .” He sighed.

“Then, what?” Tatsuya said.

“He made his biggest rent boy score of them all,” Ruiza said. “When we were in between videos, he got invited to a rich people party – you know the type I mean, the ones where they like to invite porn stars to prove how open-minded they are. And at that party, someone introduced him to Okuno Taakai. He was still just a bigmouthed booze tycoon at the time.”

“And he started having an affair with him?”

“Big-time. To the point where Arashi was turning down roles in videos to spend more time with Okuno. His career was suffering, and I started to worry. This was the opposite of what I wanted for him. Okuno was going to get tired of him, sooner or later, and then where would he be? I tried to talk to him, but he told me that he was fine, he’d continue to be fine, and that Okuno would make sure he was set for life. I tried to explain as gently as I could that I’d seen way too many young men burned that way, but the more I did that, the more he dug in his heels.”

“Did anyone else try to help him?” Tatsuya said.

“No,” Ruiza said. “And my friends kept telling me I was too emotionally wrapped up in the situation, that I should just back away and let Arashi sink or swim on his own. But I couldn’t. I knew there was more to him than just a rent boy, that he still had potential he could tap. If only HE could see it.”

He paused. “During the period after Kisaki dumped me, when I was getting crappy scripts and was thinking about quitting the industry altogether? Being there for Arashi was one of the things that kept me going. I figured if I could get him away from Okuno and help him see his own worth, it would justify everything I was going through.”

“I remember you talking about that,” Tatsuya said, gently. It was one of the things that had drawn the two of them together – they were “the quitters’ club,” two people who had almost left the industry behind altogether.

“Eventually, he wanted me to meet Okuno – he said I’d change my mind about him if I did. There was a party for the launch of a new breed of liquor from Okuno’s company, and Arashi invited me and told me I could bring a date. I ended up bringing Sakito.”

“Were you two dating?” Tatsuya said, sounding a bit surprised.

“No, he was a friend,” Ruiza said. “One of the friends who kept telling me I shouldn’t be so emotionally invested in Arashi. But . . . he also believed that Arashi still had potential. So, he agreed to come with me. We should have known that there’d be tons of media there – mostly mainstream, but there was one guy there who wrote for both regular celebrity blogs and porn ones. He stuck a video camera in our faces and interviewed us about our next projects. We didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

Ruiza looked down, rubbing his hands together, and continued. “So Arashi introduced us to Okuno. He hit us with the charm offensive, all right. One of those guys who comes across as a big shot, always perfectly in control . . . but there was something about him that made both me and Sakito uncomfortable. As Sakito put it, it felt like he had a layer of slime beneath his skin.

“Sure enough, after a few of his own fancy rum drinks, he was asking the two of us to come up and see his hotel suite. He was bragging about how it was a penthouse and had its own pool. It was pretty damn obvious what he wanted. He’s the kind of person who thinks that just because we’re in the profession we’re in, we were all too ready to have an orgy with him at the drop of a hat – or a few hundred thousand yen. So we quietly made a beeline for the back door and left.”

Ruiza wasn’t going to go into what happened after that. As soon as they got outside the party, he had a small meltdown. Okuno was just as much of a slime as he’d feared, and Arashi really was throwing away a future that had started to have promise for a total jerk. Sakito had taken Ruiza home and calmed him down, and the evening ended with the only time the two of them had ever had sex with each other off-camera.

“Of course, we didn’t know that Okuno had convinced two other guys to come upstairs with them – probably a couple of other rent boys. One of the mainstream entertainment reporters saw them all going up the elevator together. He’d heard that Arashi came to the party with two other porn stars – and he started gossiping that the three porn stars had all gone upstairs for a foursome with Okuno. And, well, the guy who interviewed us had video footage that showed Sakito and I were the other two porn stars at the party. So, before you knew it, there were rumors flying everywhere. You know what the industry grapevine is like.”

Tatsuya looked horrified. “People thought you slept with Okuno?”

“Part of a foursome, yes,” Ruiza said. “It was pretty unpleasant business. I’d arrive on the set and people would look at me funny. Random crew members would come up to me and say, ‘Damn, Ruiza, I thought you had better taste than that.’ A couple of directors who normally cast me in their videos stayed away from me for a while. It was kind of embarrassing as hell. Fortunately, the rumors never went out to the public, they were kept within the industry – but still.”

“So what happened with Arashi and him?” Tatsuya said.

“Okuno got it into his head that he wanted to run for political office,” Ruiza said. “As if his ego wasn’t big enough already – he had to get elected to the Diet and make it bigger. So he announced his campaign, and he decided that extramarital action with a gay porn star wasn’t exactly good for his conservative politician image.

“Suddenly, Arashi was back to making videos on a regular basis – and he wasn’t talking about Okuno. At all. Even if I tried to talk to him privately, he’d change the subject, quickly. I figured the breakup was a nasty one, and it was painful to mention.

“Then, I started noticing that his clothes and jewelry had suddenly gotten a lot more expensive. He hadn’t renegotiated his contract, either. There were all kinds of whispers and speculation about what was going on – some people thought he was dealing drugs on the side. But nobody knew anything for sure.”

“Until now,” Tatsuya said. “Right? That’s why he was in the news?”

Ruiza nodded. “It’s everywhere right now, thanks to Okuno firing someone and the guy going off and blabbing to the press. And the timing couldn’t possibly be worse. The JAVAs are coming up, and that means there’s going to be media all over the place. Industry AND mainstream. And if the old rumors resurface, there’s going to plenty of talk about that, plenty of people thinking that I . . .”

“Showed poor judgement?” Tatsuya said, managing a small smile.

“More like was a total golddigger,” Ruiza said. “And they’re going to drag you into this, too, since we’ve been linked so much lately, and . . . and it’s the last thing in the world I wanted for you, Tatsuya. I wanted the JAVAs to be a joyous experience. I wanted it to be about us telling the whole world about what we’ve found together, and now . . .”

Tatsuya put an arm around his lover. “It’ll still be about us,” he said. “I promise you.”

“Yes, but if there’s press bastards sticking microphones in our faces and asking all kinds of questions about . . .”

“If they ask the questions?” Tatsuya said. “You don’t have to answer them. You’re under no obligation. It’s not as if this is a court of law, right? Just tell them what you’re comfortable telling them – and if you’re not comfortable saying anything at all? Let them wonder.”

“It’s just that . . .” Ruiza looked up at him. “I was so looking forward to telling the world about you. About us, and what we’ve found together. Last year, when I walked that red carpet, I was at a crossroads in my life. I was going out into unknown territory without a safety net – nobody had ever tried being an independent contractor as an actor before. It was scary as hell, really. And then . . . I met Hayato, and he eventually introduced me to you. From then on . . .” He clasped Tatusuya’s hand. “Everything was all right.”

“Ruiza,” Tatsuya said, softly, “we were meant to find each other when we did. I was at a crossroads, too. I was going to quit acting altogether – just like you almost did. But we found a future together, remember?”

Ruiza nodded. “I do. Very much so.”

“So . . . don’t let your past ruin your future. Don’t let the press, or anyone else, tell you that what happened with Arashi is more important than what’s going on with you now. You talked about trying to help Arashi see his own worth – well, your own worth is equally important, baby.”

Ruiza leaned his head on Tatsuya’s shoulder. “I spent so much time worrying about Arashi . . . maybe I should have worried more about myself. Maybe I should have bolted from Hard Candy sooner.”

“Your timing was perfect,” Tatsuya said. “If you’d left earlier, we might not have hooked up when we did.” He leaned over and kissed his lover softly. “And if the press only wants to ask you about Arashi? Then I will do the talking, and I will tell them about how wonderful you are and how much you’ve added to my life.”

“Tatsuya . . .” Ruiza said, softly.

I couldn’t save Arashi, he thought. I couldn’t change the course of his life. But I did change the course of mine. And I have to have faith that Arashi will find his way out of this mess. But for now . . . I’ll let it go. I didn’t fail Arashi. He made his own decisions – questionable as they might be.

“What would I do without you?” Ruiza said, leaning toward Tatsuya for a kiss.

“I hope we never have to find that out,” Tatsuya replied, as he brought his lips to his lover’s.

Ruiza took that as his cue to kiss the hell out of his beloved, pulling his body closer and pushing his tongue into his lover’s mouth. His hands rapidly moved to the front of Tatsuya’s shirt, starting to undo buttons, because, dammit, he wanted this man, and he wanted him now.

If there was ever the time he needed the comfort of loving arms and a warm, familiar body, it was now.

“Baby . . .” Tatsuya gasped as Ruiza ran his tongue down the other man’s neck, pushing at the shirt until it slid down his arms. He was eager as hell and he didn’t care. He wanted everything his lover had to give.

“Is this okay?” he said as he started to unbuckle Tatsuya’s belt, feeling the other man shudder beneath him. “If I’m moving too fast . . .”

“Oh, dear God, no,” Tatusya said, breathlessly – until Ruiza silenced him by pushing his first two fingers into the younger man’s mouth. Tatsuya sucked on them eagerly, tonguing them as Ruiza pushed them in and out.

The older man pulled away just long enough to strip away his own clothes, the shirt, pants and underwear landing in a heap on the floor as Tatsuya quickly pushed his pants down, running his fingers along his own growing erection. The gesture caught Ruiza’s attention right away.

“I think that’s supposed to be my job,” he said in a husky voice, dropping down on his knees in front of Tatsuya. His fingers found their goal swiftly, running along the shaft, teasing it into full hardness.

He leaned over, his tongue gently touching the very tip as his fingers continued to work on the rest of it, swirling in quick circles, then pulling back, then swirling again. He bent over, lips surrounding the tip, sliding down on it bit by bit.

As he began to suck, he pulled back a bit, then thrust down hard, taking his lover deep. Much as he loved performing for the camera, he loved when it was just the two of them more, when there was nobody to perform for but his lover, when all that mattered was giving Tatsuya the most pleasure imaginable.

And that’s what he was doing now, sucking hard as he moved down, pausing a moment while Tatsuya moaned and sighed and whispered his name, then pulling back slowly, holding just the tip in his mouth, flicking his tongue over it rapidly.

“Oh, God,” Tatsuya moaned as Ruiza moved faster, sucking him harder, letting his hands wander over his lover’s thighs, caressing the most sensitive flesh. It was a sort of erotic frenzy, and Ruiza was gladly lost in it, in the scent and feel and taste of this man, the sounds he was making, the sense of their connection . . .

He felt Tatsuya’s hips start to buck up toward him, heard his lover’s breathing get more ragged and erratic, and he knew he was close to coming. Ruiza moved down as deep and hard as he could, taking Tatsuya just about all the way into his throat . . .

And it was there that Tatsuya released himself, crying out as he trembled, Ruiza swallowing everything that poured out of him eagerly, staying with him until his lover’s last shudders faded. When they did, Ruiza eased back, placing light kisses on Tatsuya’s thighs before moving up to bring his mouth to the other man’s, pushing his tongue in so Tatsuya could taste himself.

Tatsuya wasted no time in shifting their positions, guiding Ruiza to lie on the couch while he knelt beside it. He fumbled for his discarded pants, for the small bottle of lube that he knew was in the pocket.

When he came back, he bent over Ruiza, kissing a nipple, sucking on it softly, tonguing it a little, then sucking again, moaning softly in his throat. Ruiza moaned in turn, tangling his fingers in Tatsuya’s hair.

And meanwhile, he felt a lube-covered finger probe gently at his entrance. Oh, yes. He spread his legs eagerly, feeling it push into him, move in and out, feel around for sensitive spots, curve to the right and then the left . . .

The finger wiggled a certain way – and then, it hit the sweetest spot at the core of Ruiza’s body. He arched upward, letting out a loud moan.

“There?” Tatsuya said. He rubbed his finger over the spot again, and Ruiza let out another moan. “This is it?”

“Yes,” Ruiza moaned. “Oh, God, yes!”

“This is what you want?” Tatusya pressed a little harder, moving his finger back and forth, and Ruiza felt like glowing, hot sparks were shooting through his whole body. He moved his hips, wriggling against the finger, trying to get more of that stimulation, that sensation . . .

“God, yes!” he gasped. “Please, don’t stop, ever . . .”

Tatsuya bent over, his mouth enclosing a nipple and sucking firmly, his tongue flicking at it, sending little tendrils of heat shooting through Ruiza, just adding to the wicked fires coming from where he was being caressed from within. He was writhing, one hand still tangled in his lover’s hair, the other grabbing at the fabric of the couch beneath him.

The finger pressed harder, and moved faster, the pleasure building within him so fast and so hot that it felt like it was going to consume him, it was so utterly delicious . . . he moved against Tatsuya, again and again, wanting release so badly, yet wanting to go on and on and . . .

He felt teeth lightly scrape his nipple, and that did him in. He arched forward, crying out loudly, his whole body shuddering with pleasure as the come poured from him in long waves.

When he finally collapsed to the couch, exhausted and sated, Tatsuya leaned over, kissing him tenderly. He kissed him back, holding the other man close, not wanting to let him go.

This is real love, he thought. There is nothing like the sensation of having your beloved so close to you right after ecstasy. It was so warm, and tender, and . . .

And he hoped, and prayed, it was something that Arashi would have someday. No matter what he had done in his life, the other man deserved at least that much.

* * *

Ruiza was awakened by the ringing of his phone. He sat up, scrambling around in the dark, until he found it.

The number on the display made his heart freeze. He hadn’t seen that in eons. He rushed over to the kitchen to take it, so he wouldn’t disturb Tatsuya.

“Arashi?” he said. “Is it you?”

“Yes,” the man on the other end replied. “Ruiza, I . . . I guess you know what’s going on right now, huh?”

“Life on other planets knows what’s going on now, you know,” Ruiza said. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” the other man said. “I’m a bit busy, though. I can’t talk in detail, but let’s say there’s a legal team involved. An activist group who hate Takaai and everything he stands for are paying the freight. Pretty good deal, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Legal team?” Ruiza’s voice was filled with worry. “He’s not threatening you in any way, is he?”

“No, no, I told you, I’m fine. Really. And, hey, they said I’ll be able to get a lot more money for acting in videos now. I’ve even had calls about mainstream parts.”

“Oh?” Ruiza brightened at that. Oh, God, could something good actually come out of this mess? If Arashi got a part in a mainstream video, it would be blatant stunt casting, to be sure - but the world could see he had at least some charm and talent, it could open doors to a real future for him.

It suddenly struck Ruiza, with a queasy sense of irony, that the thing he wanted to save Arashi from might turn out to be the very thing that became his salvation.

“Well, we’ll see how that goes,” Arashi said. “It’s just . . . I want to thank you for everything you did, Ruiza. I know you tried to help.”

“I was worried,” Ruiza said. “Very worried. And I still am! But . . . you HAVE landed on your feet, right?”

“Sort of,” Arashi said. “I’m just sorry that you’re getting dragged into the media circus around this. They were looking through old videos trying to find any friends who might have known about . . . you know, and they found that clip with you and Sakito. And, well . . .”

“Don’t worry,” Ruiza said. “They’re not going to get to me. I have far better things to talk about in public. And so do you, if your career is getting a boost now, right?”

“Guess so,” Arashi said. He paused. “I never told you this, Ruiza, but . . . part of me always wanted to be more like you. Someone who really has it together. Someone who has good things come to him in life. I mean, first you won a JAVA, then you made that video with Codomo Dragon . . .”

Ruiza suddenly felt touched. He wanted to be like me? He thought. Really?

“You’ll have it together once you get through this, Arashi,” he said. “I have faith in you. I always have. And I’m still here if you need to talk.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Arashi said, wryly. “Lawyers, you know. But thanks. Okay, I need to go now . . .”

“All right,” Ruiza said. “Remember – I’m here if you need me.”

He hung up the phone and looked at it, quietly, for a moment. And he found himself, finally, letting go of the situation.

Whatever the press says to me on the red carpet can’t touch me, he thought. I know the truth, and I know what’s important.

And suddenly, he got an idea. He was going to talk to Uruha tomorrow about putting out an official press statement. It wasn’t done at PSC Productions very often – at least, not when there was no specific video to promote – but this warranted it.

* * *

The statement was released to the press the next day. It said, “In the past few days, my name has been linked to a performer in our industry who goes by the name of Arashi. While he was a friend and co-star of mine in the past, I do not have specific details about the romantic liaison of his that has been at the heart of his recent legal matters. While I wish Arashi well, I would like to focus on my own career trajectory in any interviews, both for my own benefit and as to not jeopardize his own legal standing. Thank you.”

Ruiza looked it over and nodded. The Arashi matter was in the past, where it belonged – and when the JAVAs arrived, he wasn’t even going to address it. He was just going to talk about the videos he’d made in the past year – and the man by his side.

Past was past, present was present, and all he wanted to think about was a bright future.


End file.
